


T'Challa

by Dragontrickru42



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Clarke-centric, F/F, animal companion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-03
Updated: 2016-05-07
Packaged: 2018-06-06 01:33:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6732454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragontrickru42/pseuds/Dragontrickru42
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Definite canon divergence and this story idea came from the anons on everybodyhatesjroth's tumblr. It's Clarke with a panther companion. In this story the panther will act a bit like a daemon from His Dark Materials with how in tune it is with Clarke.</p><p>Or, Clarke killed the panther and spent the night with Niylah a month after she left Camp Jaha, not three. The morning after is where this story picks up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> So the title is definitely a work in progress. T'Challa is the Black Panther's name in the Marvel Universe and I welcome any other titles someone comes up with. 
> 
> This is just a brief intro into the story as I had to get this out to plot how the story will go, and I wanted to see the reception of it. I won't promise anything about future chapter lengths or updates, but I will definitely continue the story no matter the reception as I love the idea.
> 
> It's unedited as of right now, when I finish the next chapter I'll edit this, so sorry for any and all mistakes.

Clarke jolted awoke with a gasp as her left hand flying through the air to land over her racing heart. The former leader took a deep breath, trying to calm her rapidly heartbeat as she surveyed the room she’d woken up in. Her blue eyes were drawn to the opposite side of the bed when she noticed how warm her right arm had become. Blonde hair sprawled across a inked back greeted her glance and Clarke forced down the flicker of disappointment when the hair didn’t match the vision she’d been so desperately trying to forget for the past month. 

Clarke took another deep breath and willed her heartbeat to calm down as the last vestiges of her nightmare, of her memories, trickled back into the box she’d made for them, not to be seen again until she closed her eyes once more. When she was at last at peace, or at least a fake semblance of it, the blonde delicately extracted herself from the furs casually thrown over her and her bedmate. She was careful to regulate her breathing so as not to disturb her one-time lover, a twinge of guilt racing through her heart before she pushed it away and began to redress herself. 

Once finished Clarke spared the trading post worker, Niylah, one last glance before slipping out of the shop with her newly replenished supplies. She was careful to avoid retracing her exact steps from the night before, not wanting to make a easy path for someone to follow if they tried to track her back to the cave she’d found to rest in. The last tendrils of night slipped into day before a pitiful ‘ _meow_ ’ broke through the calls of the early morning birds. 

The blonde froze, tensing as the call came again. And again. She waited.

‘ _Meowwww_ ’

Clarke was torn. The animal sounded distressed, but Clarke had learned that nothing was as it seemed on the ground. Another call reached into the embers of Clarke’s ripped up heart and tugged her forward as she began to follow the sound, her left hand resting on a knife she had strapped to her hip just in case. 

Time slipped away from the unkempt blonde as she continued to follow the sound of the crying animal, her steps almost silent upon the ground. What could’ve been hours later, but was probably about a notch on a candle, Clarke found the source of the noise. One thought ran through her head, ‘ _ **Well shit.**_ ’


	2. I'm A Goner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke adopts a panther and Lexa makes an appearance in Polis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The show calls the large feline Clarke killed a jaguar, but since I'm sure Clarke isn't well-versed on large felines, panther and jaguar will be used interchangeably here.

Stormy blue eyes rose to meet a pale blue that was nearly swallowed with gold as another plaintive cry sounded from the creature perched just above Clarke’s head. Her gaze wandered, taking in the entirety of the small black animal that was crouched upon a tree branch and staring forlornly down at her. The animal was a miniature replica of the panther she’d killed last night and Clarke knew, she just knew, that the the creature before her was the late panther’s child. The word _cub_ sprang to the forefront of her mind as the small panther let out another cry, its gaze never wavering from Clarke.

Clarke looked away from the creature as she felt the harsh sting of tears start to build in her eyes. She shook her head, eyes closing as she roughly wiped at them, her tormented mind gearing up to scream at her like it did when she slept. Thankfully the panther let out another sharp plea that snapped Clarke out of the what was the beginning of another downward spiral. Blue eyes locked onto the cub as it tensed its lithe muscles and with a last demanding cry, the jaguar cub pounced on her. 

Sharp claws immediately tore into Clarke’s shoulders as the feline latched onto them. Alarmed, and in pain, Clarke began flailing around as she tried to pry the small beast off of her. Her efforts were only rewarded with the jaguar’s claws sinking in deeper into the soft flesh near her neck and a strange noise. It was almost like a rumble and Clarke slowly stopped struggling as confusion washed over her when she identified that the animal was making the noise. Her confusion grew as she she felt her hair being lifted up something moist. When it happened again Clarke was reminded of a video she’d once seen on the Ark. The video had included a large creature, a canine, that licked its master’s face when it was happy. As the rough sensation came again, Clarke mused that perhaps felines did the same thing, though she had no idea what cause the previously distressed creature to be happy. So she decided to try and pry the animal off of her once more to see if her theory was correct. 

“What-What are you doing?” She questioned aloud, the gravely sound of her voice startling both her and the panther cub causing the claws that had been slowly relaxing their grip to tighten once more. Clarke let out a hiss in pain as she forced herself to be gentle when removing the cub’s claws from her head and shoulders.

“Did you- are you _licking_ me?”The mountain slayer was bemused as the panther strained towards her, trying to wiggle its way closer to her as its pink tongue darted out once more to swipe across the finger closest to it.

“Hey, no, stop that.” Clarke admonished, incredulous and a bit annoyed she was right that the tiny panther had pounced on her not to _maul_ her but to _lick_ her for some reason. The jaguar, of course, didn’t listen to Clarke and continued to try and lick her fingers as Clarke repositioned her hands to get a better hold on the creature. The small amount of ire Clarke felt faded when the cuts the large panther had given her throbbed, her heart sinking once more as it reminded her of the reason the cub she held was previously distressed. She brought the small cub closer to her face, examining it as it gave up its struggle and met her stare head on. A bit of guilt began to churn through Clarke’s stomach as she realized the cub was most likely orphaned now. The panther’s odd affection for her could likely be explained by its mother’s lingering scent on Clarke as she was still wearing the same clothes from the fight the night before. It didn’t explain everything of course, but Clarke was at a loss as to what else could cause the panther’s bewildering response to her presence. After all, Clarke hadn’t been earning any good will lately just anger, disgust, disappointment—

‘ _Mreow_ ’

The cry broke Clarke from her thoughts once again and she snapped her gaze back to the cub. The little beast was once more attempting to wriggle closer to Clarke and Clarke sighed, giving into it as gratitude threatened to overwhelm her. Her heart strings twinged as the animal immediately burrowed it’s face into her shirt when she brought it close to her chest. White teeth bit a pale pink lip as Clarke regarded the feline in her arms. She couldn’t stay here much longer, needing to get back to her shelter with her supplies sooner rather than later. But she did owe the little creature a little.

That thought caused Clarke to allow a few long moments to pass by before lowering herself into a crouch and taking great care not to jostle the cub too badly as she did so. She pried the claws that had come out to cling to her shirt off carefully and deposited the cub on the ground in front of her. 

“I don’t know what you want from me, but I can’t stay, I can’t—“ Clarke’s voice broke as guilt and sorrow washed over her again. She took in a deep, shuddering, breath and closed her eyes as her mind projected images of the last person she had said some of those words to and why. Her friends, her family, the people in the mountain who helped them. She’d killed those people to save her own and she knew her loved ones could never accept her actions. Her mom had looked at her with such disappointment when she’d found out Clarke knew of the missile. The look in Abby’s eyes, it was as if Clarke was a stranger to her own mother in that instance and she couldn’t face it. Not again. Not from the remaining hundred. Not from her friends too. The blood of hundreds was on her hands, most of them innocent and Clarke just couldn’t-

‘ _MREOOWWW_ ’

Blue eyes flew open as the loud noise caused a few birds to take off into flight nearby. Clarke’s met the cub’s steady gaze as it fixed her with a look, making a noise in the back of its throat as if satisfied when she did, her dark thoughts halted once more.

The cub approached Clarke, butting her hand with its head multiple times until Clarke hesitantly began to scratch at it. 

“You’re something else, you know that?” Clarke let out, grateful for the beast’s timing. Her eyes slid closed as Clarke exhaled, pushing away thoughts of the Mountain. She had to get back to her makeshift shelter, lay low for a day or two as she always did after getting more supplies, just in case. She gave the panther one last scratch and stood, turning to the direction she needed to go. 

A brush against her leg brought her gaze back to the panther who cried out softly, butting its head against her leg a couple of times before walking off. It paused mid-stride, tossing a glance at Clarke over its shoulder as it let out another low call. A moment passed and Clarke stared at it, confused once more. The panther cub’s eyes narrowed, tail flicking as it let out a more insistent call and started walking once more. It again paused and stared back at Clarke, calling. A beat and then the feline let out a hiss, tail flicking wildly in its agitation. An idea clicked in Clarke’s mind as the cub started walking and stopped a third time.

“You want me to follow you?” She questioned aloud. The cub let out a low huff, tail stilling a moment before flicking once as the cub took off for the fourth time. Clarke stared after it a moment before shaking her head at herself when she began to follow the small creature. 

The forest was mostly quiet as the unlikely duo walked silently across the ground, Clarke taking care to not let the cub out of her eyesight and the cub pausing periodically to be sure of the same thing. Their journey ended after what Clarke guessed to be half a candle mark when the cub sat beside a still lump on the ground. Clarke took a moment to look around, recognizing their surroundings. They were near one of her temporary hideouts, a precaution if she thought she was being followed. A low call from the cub brought her attention back to the lump.

Moving closer, Clarke saw the lump was really a prone body. It was mostly black, like the cub, but Clarke could see a few dark spots in the fur and she knew then that the still body was that of the cub’s littermate. She slowly lowered herself beside the two cubs, gaze meeting the mournful one of the living cub. 

“I guess you don’t have much of a home anymore either, huh?” Clarke asked, voice low as she took in the broken neck of the limp cub before her. The panther stood and circled its sibling once before butting into Clarke’s side and leaning against her. Clarke swallowed, trying to clear the lump that formed in her throat from the cub’s odd affections. She had no idea why the cub was trying to comfort her, but she appreciated it. 

She stood, picking up some stray brush to put over the deceased cub to protect it from predators in thanks for its sibling’s affection. Looking down at it Clarke murmured “ _ **Yu gunplei ste odon**_ ”. Life was about survival, she knew, but Clarke was so tired of it. She turned, meeting the panther’s stare as she felt the floodgates threaten to open once more.

“I’m sorry.” She apologized. “I’m sorry I took a loved one from you and I’m sorry that you’re alone now. I’m so sorry things played out this way. The things we do to survive—“Clarke cut herself. She knew who her words were truly meant for and it wasn’t the animal sitting beside her, though she did feel for the small creature. She forced herself to fall quiet, mind beginning to race as she tried to suss out why the feline lead her here. She didn’t understand the creature’s actions. Its mother had been fierce and the pauna she had encountered with Lexa had attacked on sight. So why was this cub so affectionate. It seemed so intelligent as well. Clarke met the panther’s gaze, thoughtful now she had something else to focus on besides her past decisions.

Loud voices nearby brought an abrupt halt to her thought process as Clarke’s head snapped towards the sound. The voices were far too close for Clarke’s liking and she scanned her surroundings before taking off towards the hideout she’d identified earlier. Rustling grabbed her attention briefly as she drew closer to her temporary hiding place and Clarke’s face twisted up in confusion when she saw the cub trying to keep pace with her.

The blonde just shook her head at the animal, not wasting time worrying about it as the voices drew ever nearer. Without hardly a moment to spare Clarke hid in the small niche of the tree and after a moment’s hesitation, she snatched the small panther up, drawing it close to her chest. She prayed it would continue to remain silent like it had the past few minutes as she could now hear the quiet footsteps belonging to the voices.

Fortunately for Clarke, the cub seemed content to bury its head into the fabric of Clarke’s shirt, settling down without nary a sound as if it sensed Clarke’s worry. From how the feline had acted so far, Clarke wouldn’t put it past the bizarrely observant creature. Bits of conversation reached Clarke as a small group of people started to pass by, some feet from her hiding place. 

“ **…sha, skaigada ste Wanheda…** ” Clarke frowned, trying to translate the words. _**Sha**_ was yes, and she recognized _**skai**_ \- as sky-. But what was _**Wanheda**_?

“ **…Wanheda don frag emo op…thri honet kru kom Maun-de…** ” There was that word again. _ **Wanheda**_. Clarke knew _**Heda**_ meant Commander. So _**Wanheda**_ was Commander of… what? Her breath hitched as she heard the Trigedasleng word for Mountain, _**Maun-de. Wanheda**_ had something to do with the Mountain then.

“ **…Azgeda ste lufa Wanheda au gon emo Plana…** ” _**Azgeda**_. The Ice Nation. What did that have to do with _**Wanheda**_? Clarke knew _**Plana**_ to mean queen. The Ice Queen? She strained her ears to hear more.

“ **…Heda don kru ste lufa skaigada au…** ” _**Heda**_. _Lexa_. Clarke’s eyes slammed shut at the name, a slew of emotions hitting her before she forced herself to ignore them and continue listening. _**Heda**_ …is looking for a sky person? That could only mean Lexa is looking for Clarke as Clarke hasn’t heard word of any missing sky people on her supply runs.

Her brow furrowed as she tried to parse out everything she’d heard. Clarke recognized just enough to figure out a muddle big picture. Lexa was looking for her. She took down the Mountain and now Lexa wanted her for something. Whatever _**Wanheda**_ was, whoever it was, it had to do with the Mountain. And the Ice Nation was looking for it while Lexa was looking for her. Clarke was smart enough to connect the dots. _She_ was _**Wanheda**_. The Grounders had named her for taking down the Mountain and now people were looking for her, maybe even hunting her. Clarke stifled a snort of anger. She never wanted any of this.

The panther cub wriggling in her arms drew Clarke out of the haze she’d gone into when she began thinking of Lexa and the mountain. Slowly Clarke released the little beast and watched as it left their hiding place and looked around. Azure mixed with gold orbs met aegean as the feline perched upon its haunches, beginning to groom itself. Clarke didn’t bother to hold in her snort this time as she pushed her way past the creature and stretched. 

Clarke continued to ignore the panther as she listened for any movement around her. When she was greeted with only the sounds of the forest the blonde decided to start her trek back to her make-shift shelter. Only a couple minutes had passed into her journey when Clarke found herself having to catch her balance as the pint-sized panther tried to wind its way between her legs. Clarke let out a quiet noise of frustration, glaring at the creature in a moment of irritation. She let it be, however, and continued on her way, careful to skirt around what little tracks the group of people had left behind. 

The sun was high in the sky by the time Clarke reached her shelter, the panther having kept time with her the entire way. She paused, surveying the environment around her to make sure no one was near before slipping into a small crevice on the face of a large rock formation. After a moment or two of tightness, the passage opened up, eventually leading to a large chamber with several smaller passageways connected to it. 

Clarke had explored them all as soon as she’d found the place. Most just lead into smaller rooms but a few wound their way to another opening in the rock face. She had taken great care to block three of the fives entrances, and had painstakingly hidden the other two, creating very small noise traps so she’d know if anyone besides her had found and used them. 

The former leader of the hundred set her pack of supplies down as she crouched to get a small fire going. The cave had a couple spots up high that allowed for a bit of ventilation, though not much. Rustling drew her attention to the pack she’d set down and she saw the panther rooting through it. Clarke sighed, shaking her head as she watched the cub draw out a piece of meat and begin eating. 

“Looks like you’re here to stay, if only for a while.” Clarke commented when the panther finished its small meal and carefully tugged the pack to Clarke, its stare imploringly her for more. Clarke let herself scratch its head as she dug out a couple small pieces of meat to give to the feline. 

“I think I’ll call you Bartholomé. It’s the last name of a painter from a time before the apocalypse.” Clarke said and the panther paused its eating to stare at Clarke, flicking its tail once before going back to its food. Clarke took that to mean the cub approved. She moved to lay down on some furs she’d acquired, blue eyes continuing to watch the cub eat.

——————————————————————————————————  
Forest green eyes stared out over the bustling city that lay before them. A noise drew the attention of the owner of the eyes, and they flickered to the right to take in an aged man cloaked in robes. The man’s most distinguishable feature was the large tattoo on the crown of his head but even without it most people would know who he was due to black robes he wore. 

“Sha, Titos?” Leksa question, bringing the full force of her green gaze on the Fleimkepa as he bowed his head slighting in deference to her.

“Heda, wigod ai op hashta min klin.” Titos began, hesitating, a move Leksa knew he perfected so as to appear he was not overstepping his place. Leksa allowed no sign of the irritation that had flared up at Titos’s maneuver show, merely nodding for him to continue as he had served three of her predecessors. His worth had been proven despite his tendency to question her decisions.

“Ron ai ridiyo op Titos.” Leksa commanded when the man hesitated once more.

“Mochof Heda.” Titos started, once more. He continued this time, switching to Gonasleng with searching eyes. Leksa knew he had his suspicions and she knew the switch was to try and get her to confirm them. She was no fool. Titos was loyal to his Heda. His Heda was not just Leksa. Leksa hid the flicker of sadness that passed through her as she thought of Onya, her first mentor. Onya had been loyal to Leksa, even when Leksa shut her out. Leksa pushed those thoughts aside as she tuned back into Titos.

“…the people are starting to say the sky girl commands death, Heda. They call her the Commander of Death and fear her power. She is becoming a legend, a threat.” Titos finished his rant, and Leksa was silently thankful she’d missed the first half of it. It was the same speech she’d heard every day for the past week. Indra had come to Polis to ask Leksa for more supplies with which to continue rebuilding TonDC with. Leksa had given her more than enough and more hands to help in the rebuilding. In return Indra had updated her on the Skaikru’s movements which lead to Klark and her budding legacy. Unfortunately, Titos had been there and he had not let the matter rest since.

Leksa held up her hand to halt the next wave of speech about to burst from her Fleimkepa. “ _Klark_ is not a threat Titos. She brought down the Mountain, something even I could not accomplish. We will not repay her actions with death.” Leksa’s eyes sharpened as she pierced Titos with her gaze. He straightened, not totally immune to her power of Heda no matter how much he postured. 

“I will not speak on this matter again Titos. Klark is to be left alone, Wanheda or no. She has done us a great service.” Leksa said, her words slow and measured. She waited for Titos to reluctantly nod his head before continuing. “Nau yu don Natblidas kom lev op.” Titos nodded once more, leaving after one last searching look.

Leksa turned back to the open window. She had a feeling this was not the last time Titos would bring the matter up. He had been Fleimkepa for so long that he often assumed he knew what was best for their people even though it was Leksa the Spirit had chosen. Her right hand clenched around the pommel of her sword, a calming habit Leksa rarely indulged in. She allowed herself a silent sigh, eyes once more turning to watch the city below her before she had to return to her duties.

She watched as a warrior returning from a hunting party greeted his family, his daughter racing to meet him. This was why she’d broken the alliance with the Sky People. Her people had suffered for 56 years under the Maun-de, losing loved ones to never be seen again or a fate worse than death- becoming a Ripa. Leksa was no fool. She knew it was unlikely for the Maunon to honor their deal if they got what they needed from the Sky People.

However, she had known Klark would find a way to take down the Maun-de. Leksa closed her eyes for a moment, the green hidden from the world as she knew the consequences of Klark’s actions had caused the sky girl to run from her people. That was why Leksa had trusted scouts looking for the girl. Despite her ability to lead, she was still like a goufa as were all the Sky People.  
Leksa wondered how Titos would react when he found out Leksa had sent a few hunters and cloth weavers to show the Sky People how to hunt and tend for clothes. She knew Titos would be hard pressed to stay respectful when he found out Leksa had sent a rider to Linkon giving him permission to go over the Trikru border with the Sky People. Leksa would allow them to stay near their Ark, as Klark had called it, so long as they did not over hunt the lands and proved themselves useful to the villages surrounding their camp. Leksa would have to see if Abi would teach Naikou some of the Sky People’s medicine.

Green eyes opened once more, taking in a last long look of her people before Leksa turned and strode through her throne room. She had other duties to attend to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not fantastic with languages, so please tell me if you see any mistakes with the Trigedasleng. Or just any mistakes in general.  
> In order:  
> ...sha, skaigada ste Wanheda...=...yes, the sky girl is Wanheda...  
> ...Wanheda don frag emo op…thri honet kru kom Maun-de--...Wanheda killed them all...three hundred Mountain Men...  
> ...Azgeda ste lufa Wanheda au gon emo Plana...=...Ice Nation is looking for Wanheda for their queen..  
> ...Heda don kru ste lufa skaigada au...=...Heda has people looking for the sky girl...  
> Sha, Titos=Yes, Titus.  
> Heda, wigod ai op hasta min kiln.=Commander, forgive me for intruding.  
> Ron ai ridiyo op Titos=Speak true Titus.  
> Mochof Heda=Thank you Heda.  
> Nau, yu don Natblidas lev op.=Now, you have Nightbloods to train.  
> Ripa=Reaper  
> Goufa=Child

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading if you did, and criticisms are super welcome if you have them.


End file.
